Cyber year 2015 saw DoS attacks, ransomware and cyber espionage

FICORA has published the NCSC-FI annual review 2015. Ransomware, cracked websites and DoS attacks; a regular web user is exposed to many information security threats

The annual review discusses the information security phenomena that have affected Finnish people in 2015.

The year got off to a busy start, as several Finnish banks were targeted by DoS attacks. In 2015, the total number of these attacks was clearly higher than in previous years. There were also may incidents involving websites used to spread malware. During the worst times, the NCSC-FI handled almost a hundred cracked Finnish websites in a week. Another clear trend was the rise in ransomware programs that encrypt files.

The number of advanced cyber attacks targeted at governmental organisations and companies increased significantly. In 2015, such incidents were detected twice as much as in 2014. At least a part of this increase is a result of the improved observation capability. "Thanks to extending HAVARO, a detection and alert system for information security incidents, FICORA can detect for example cyber espionage even better than before", explains Jarkko Saarimäki, Director of the NCSC-FI.

Interference-free communications services and confidentiality of mobile communications have also been key issues of the year. Sensitive information may be protected using the encryption products approved by FICORA.